Hi This has probably been discussed before, but Freeman of Canterbury records can be of help in moving a bit further back and making connections. I'm currently looking at an LDS film, 477365 which had as one of its items, a book called Freeman of Canterbury by Joseph Meadows Cowper in which he provides an index of freemen from, it says, 1392 to 1800. There were 5 ways of becoming a Freeman, by birth, by marriage, by apprenticeship, by redemption and by gift. Apparently there was a sliding scale of fees for admission with that by birth for free (it was required that the father be a freeman at the time of the boy's birth). By marriage drew a low fee with the same proviso that the father be a freeman at the time of his daughter's birth. By apprenticeship cost more and required the master to be a freeman. By redemption was by a sometimes hefty fee - it varied. By gift was for the select few and meant you were someone important like an alderman or had done something nice for the king or the city. The amount of detail in the index varies quite a lot. Everyone is from Canterbury unless otherwise indicated. But looking at possible members of my family, By marriage: OLIVE, James, cordwainer = (married) Katharine, d(aughter) of William Pout, husbandman (and was admitted as a freeman in) 1739 Also there is : OLIVE, Samuel, gardener = Ennet, d of Thomas White, bricklayer, 1747 Going back to Freemen by birth, we find the following OLIVES: OLIVE, James, the younger, cordwainer, 1760 OLIVE, William of Dover, peruke-maker, 1760 OLIVE, Thomas, labourer, 1770 OLIVE, John of Whitstable, baker, 1774 OLIVE, Abraham, of London, cordwainer, 1789 OLIVE, James, of St Dunstan's, Kent, cordwainer, 1795 Going forward, that's 5 sons of James and a grandson. Returning to admission by birth: POUTT, John, joiner, s(on) of James POUTT, draper, 1704 POUTT, William, husbandman, s of James POUTT, draper, 1704 POUT, Thomas, cordwainer, s of James POUT, woollen draper, 1714 POUT, James, collarmaker, s of William POUT, victualler, 1733 POUT, William, pipemaker, s of William POUT, victualler, 1734 POUT, Thomas, pipemaker, s of William POUT, pipemaker, 1747 POUT, James, cabinet maker, 1768 POUT, John, surgeon, 1784 POUT, Charles, upholder, 1789 And looking at Freemen by apprenticeship: POUT, James woollen draper, app. to Thomas JENKIN (admitted) 1676 POUT, William, upholder, 1760 So it would appear that among James Olive's new relatives are his wife's father, William, uncles John and Thomas. William may have changed his occupation to a victualler and James and William may be her brothers and Thomas her nephew. The IGI shows the christening of Katherine Pout, daughter of William and Deborah in 1717 and James born to the same couple christened in 1708. There are a number of possibly Huguenot names in the list. From possible family connections again. By marriage: BLANCHAR, Isaac, of the Precincts, Canterbury, tailor, 1754 BLANCHET, Noah, silk weaver = Elizabeth, d of Joseph BOOTH, grazier, 1741 FEDARB, Jacob of Holy Cross, cordwainer, 1765 FEDARB, Jacob Augustine, cordwainer, 1790 TEVELIN, Isaac, woolcomber = Ann, d of Richard PICARD, hop merchant and Alderman, 1737 TIVELAIN, Abraham, labourer, 1767 TIVLAINE, John, victualler, 1785 TEVELEIN, Matthew Thomas, silk weaver, 1795 By birth: BLANKET, William, s of William Blanket, 1702 FEDARB, Horatio, brazier, 1788 FEDARB, Thomas, of Westgate in Kent, mariner, 1794 FEDARB, Daniel, of Westgate In Kent, cordwainer, 1799 TEVELEIN, Charles, peruke maker, 1760 TEVELEIN, James, woolcomber, 1760 TIVELEIN, Edward, tailor, 1768 TEVELEIN, Joseph, painter, 1774 TEVELEIN, James, peruke maker, 1788 TEVELEIN, Joseph, printer, 1797 By Apprenticeship: BLANKETT, William, dyer, app to Squier BEVERTON, Alderman, and Richard HARDS There a lot of French or Huguenot names. eg. DESPAIGNE, HOMMEE, LE CERF, (including one in transition LE CERF (otherwise) HART), LE GRAND, LEPINE, MRSEILLE, LEFROY, SIX, etc. I probably don't recognize a lot of them or can't tell if they're Huguenot or earlier. Anyway, it's worth a look. at least it might tell you what your ancestor did for a crust. Sue